Improving Electric Vehicle Charging Station Efficiency through Pricing

Rick Wolbertus,Bas Gerzon

doi:10.1155/2018/4831951

Abstract

Recent studies show that charging stations are operated in an inefficient way. Due to the fact that electric vehicle (EV) drivers charge while they park, they tend to keep the charging station occupied while not charging. This prevents others from having access. This study is the first to investigate the effect of a pricing strategy to increase the efficient use of electric vehicle charging stations. We used a stated preference survey among EV drivers to investigate the effect of a time-based fee to reduce idle time at a charging station. We tested the effect of such a fee under different scenarios and we modelled the heterogeneity among respondents using a latent class discrete choice model. We find that a fee can be very effective in increasing the efficiency at a charging station but the response to the fee varies among EV drivers depending on their current behaviour and the level of parking pressure they experience near their home. From these findings we draw implications for policy makers and charging point operators who aim to optimize the use of electric vehicle charging stations.

Highlights

The transport sector in Europe, which accounts for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, is the only main sector that has not been able to reduce emissions over the past 25 years [1]
We find that a fee can be very effective in increasing the efficiency at a charging station but the response to the fee varies among electric vehicle (EV) drivers depending on their current behaviour and the level of parking pressure they experience near their home
A stated choice study was performed among EV drivers, in which they were asked to imagine that they were charging their electric vehicle at a level 2 public charging station

Summary

Introduction

The transport sector in Europe, which accounts for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, is the only main sector that has not been able to reduce emissions over the past 25 years [1]. Electric vehicles (EVs) show great promise to meet CO2 reduction targets in the transport domain and to reduce local air pollution [2]. Adoption of these vehicles is starting to take off [3] as the main barriers, being the purchase price and the limited range due to high battery costs [4], are overcome by the introduction of more affordable, long range EVs into the market. Cars are parked 90-95% of the time [6], which provides the opportunity to overcome problems of limited range and long recharging times even with currently available short range vehicles. This requires instalment of (public) charging infrastructure at places where users park their cars such as at home, at work, or at public facilities such as shopping centres [7]

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